


The Pitter-patter of Little Feet

by BriMac0518



Series: Parenthood [4]
Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Kid Fic, Tooth-Rotting Sweetness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-08
Updated: 2020-12-08
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:00:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27961178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BriMac0518/pseuds/BriMac0518
Summary: Parenthood for Muriel came with a heap of anxiety. He’d been a loner for as long as he could remember until Asra wormed his way into Muriel’s life and somehow became his friend. Since then, he’d grudgingly tried to make an effort into making more friends. Then, God only knew how, he’d managed to not only fall in love and settle down, but also reproduce. He was as shocked as anyone else, really.Suddenly (if one could call nine months of notice sudden), he was responsible for a tiny human. Chickens were one thing. Tiny humans were a completely different matter entirely. And dear God how could they be that small?! Muriel assured himself that he surely could not have been that teeny when he was an infant.None of that changed the fact that he was now a father and had to not only somehow manage to keep his child alive, but teach him, help him grow and learn. Chickens were so much easier! Feed them, collect their eggs, clean up after them. Simple. Just the way he liked it. Children? So not simple!
Relationships: Muriel (The Arcana)/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Parenthood [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1901104
Comments: 6
Kudos: 39





	The Pitter-patter of Little Feet

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Jammysketchbook](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jammysketchbook/gifts).



> The long awaited Dad Muriel fic at last! This one took me a bit longer to write for several reasons, but the main one was because I wanted to get it just right. This is a birthday gift for my dear friend Jammy and features her OCs Nell, Amir, Sophia and Miras. Happy birthday, lovely. Thank you for the gift that is your friendship.
> 
> This fic is inspired by Jammy's art. Her art and OCs are used with her permission. You can find her on Instagram as Jammy_sketchbook and on tumblr as greyhands. Please do not use her art or OCs without her permission!
> 
> This marks the conclusion of the Parenthood fic series (for now). Thank you guys so much for all the feedback on the previous three installments! Please feel free to tell me what you think of this one. Kudos and comments absolutely make my day.
> 
> Sorry there's no pic in this one. I hate trying to put pics in AO3 works because it never seems to work correctly for me and when it does, the pics are massive and take up so much space. 
> 
> PLEASE NOTE: Do not repost my work anywhere. I do not give my permission.

Parenthood for Muriel came with a heap of anxiety. He’d been a loner for as long as he could remember until Asra wormed his way into Muriel’s life and somehow became his friend. Since then, he’d grudgingly tried to make an effort into making more friends. Then, God only knew how, he’d managed to not only fall in love and settle down, but also reproduce. He was as shocked as anyone else, really.

Suddenly (if one could call nine months of notice sudden), he was responsible for a tiny human. Chickens were one thing. Tiny humans were a completely different matter entirely. And dear God how could they be that small?! Muriel assured himself that he surely could not have been that teeny when he was an infant.

None of that changed the fact that he was now a father and had to not only somehow manage to keep his child alive, but teach him, help him grow and learn. Chickens were so much easier! Feed them, collect their eggs, clean up after them. Simple. Just the way he liked it. Children? So not simple!

He walked on eggshells for months after Amir was born. Even though the baby looked like a miniature version of him with the same hair and eye color, he still seemed so fragile. Muriel was terrified that his son was going to shatter if he wasn’t careful enough with him. He never dropped the baby. Or lost him. He considered those wins. 

One thing he realized while Amir was still a newborn was how much he loved to hold him. Despite Muriel’s fears and anxiety, cradling his tiny baby boy in his big hands and holding him against his chest was one of the best feelings in the world. He loved taking Amir outside the hut into the sunshine. Inanna often came with them to enjoy the fresh air as well.

Inanna was always so gentle around the baby. She was never loud around him and when Amir would cry, Inanna was always the one to inform Muriel by head butting him until he stopped whatever he was doing to go tend to his son. Never mind the fact that he wasn’t going to let the baby just lay there and cry. He equated her to a mama wolf looking after a pup which was fitting given the little wolf pups that lined the soft fabric of one of Amir’s onesies. It was a gift from Asra and was Muriel’s favorite next to the one with tiny chickens on it.

By the time Sophia came along, he was a little more confident. Amir was two when his sister came into the world and eager to have a new playmate. She was a beautiful baby girl with her mother’s hair and eye color, a tiny version of her like Amir was a little Muriel. Muriel then found himself faced with having both a toddler and a newborn at the same time. He’d never been so grateful for the fact that newborns slept frequently. It was easy enough to lay Sophia down in her crib and worry about what mischief Amir was getting into while his sister napped.

His familiar was an absolute lifesaver when Muriel had to look after the kids on his own. Inanna kept Amir entertained or in line whenever Muriel had to take care of Sophia. Amir riding around on Inanna’s back quickly became a common occurrence in their little household. It was one of the boy’s favorite ways to play with the wolf and it certainly made Muriel’s life easier whenever Sophia needed to be fed or changed.

When his youngest son Miras was born, another miniature version of him, Muriel couldn’t help noticing that his growing family was making his hut seem smaller and smaller. The idea of moving just wasn’t something he looked forward to considering though. Vesuvia was way too big. And it had people. That basically just ruined the city as a place to live for him. Ugh. People.

With Miras’ birth, Muriel was far more at ease being a father. At four, Amir wanted to be Daddy’s helper and often kept Sophia, who had just turned two, entertained with little games he thought up. It was adorable watching his son and daughter play together. Another thing Muriel discovered he loved and never got tired of watching. He still adored holding his children though, even when Amir squirmed a lot because he was in a hurry to be put down so he could go back to playing.

Sophia was Muriel’s little shadow. She wanted to follow him everywhere, wanted to know everything that he was doing. The first time he showed her that he was feeding the chickens and let her try, he knew that she’d never let him do the task on his own ever again. Sophia’s love of chickens rivaled her father’s and that was definitely saying something. 

Uncle Asra only encouraged her further by showing up at the hut one day with a chicken plushie for Sophia to call her own. It was love at first sight. That was the only way Muriel could think to describe the absolutely elated shriek his daughter gave that was loud enough to startle the birds in the nearby trees into taking flight. Her little friend was quickly and affectionately dubbed “Bokbok” because it was “what chickens say, Daddy!”

Bokbok and Sophia were never separated after that. More than once, Muriel caught Sophia cradling the toy like he would cradle her baby brother while he was rocking Miras to sleep like she was mimicking what her father was doing. Muriel added it to the list of impossibly adorable things that his children did on a daily basis. Bokbok was even introduced to the actual chickens and Sophia assured Muriel that they were the best of friends. He figured he would take her word for it. She was the expert in all things Bokbok.

In an effort to keep the kids from bouncing off the walls of the hut whenever they became too energetic, Muriel took them for walks. He never took them far from the hut, staying within the area protected by the charms he put up and refreshed on a regular basis. One could never be too careful when protecting their family as far as Muriel was concerned.

For their walks, Muriel had a little sling that he put Miras in so the baby rested against his chest and when Sofia was tired, he settled her in it at his back. It was effortless for him to carry his youngest two, so Muriel didn’t mind. But he loved taking them for walks, showing them all the plants that grew and teaching them what he knew. True, his kids were very little, but it never hurt to educate them early.

One such day had them out in the fresh air and sunshine, wandering through the trees close to the hut. Miras was sound asleep in his sling while Amir and Sophia were running all across the grass chasing each other. Sophia had Bokbok in hand and the poor chicken was being dragged all over the place. Muriel made a mental note to clean the toy up whenever Sophia fell asleep.

He chuckled when Sophia pounced on her big brother, sending the pair of them toppling over onto the grass. Bokbok was forgotten in the ensuing tickle war and Muriel shook his head, fondly amused as he watched his children’s antics.

“Be careful, you two,” he called to his son and daughter as they rolled across the grass, shrieking with laughter. Well, they were certainly doing a good job of scaring off the wildlife.

Inanna came to sit down beside where Muriel stood, golden eyes resting on the kids. She huffed when Bokbok went flying, rising from her haunches and walking over to pick the toy up. The wolf carried it to Muriel and he slipped the toy into the sling along with Miras.

“Thanks, Inanna.” He stroked her head, giving his familiar a scratch behind her ear. No sooner had she settled beside Muriel once more when Sophia came racing back over to her father, jumping up and down excitedly.

“Daddy! Flowers for Mommy please?” Sophia gave him those puppy dog eyes that always made Muriel groan internally. He never could say no when she brought out the puppy dog eyes and she was one hundred percent aware of that fact. 

“All right. Flowers for Mommy.” His approval had the little girl clapping her hands gleefully.

“Yay! Amir! Flowers for Mommy!” Together, they rushed off to a patch of flowers nearby and started picking some.

Knowing they’d be there for a while yet, Muriel moved closer and took a seat on the soft grass. Inanna settled beside him, her head on his bent knee where he sat with his legs folded. The sunshine through the trees was pleasant and the breeze was sweet with the scent of fresh flowers. The laughter of his children just made it all better still.

“Don’t pick too many,” he told them. “Leave some for the rabbits.”

A chorus of agreements came, but neither Amir nor Sophia looked up from what they were doing. Picking flowers was serious business judging by the focused looks on their little faces. Like they wanted to make sure they got just the right ones for their mother. It made one corner of his mouth curl up in a smile. Adorable.

It didn’t take long before Muriel suddenly had a lap full of fresh flowers courtesy of Amir and Sophia. They’d chosen a lot of pretty ones in multiple hues, nearly including all the colors of the rainbow it seemed like. 

“Think you’ve got enough?” He was teasing, but his kids were completely serious when they nodded in response to his question.

“Enough for a flower crown for Mommy,” Sophia insisted.

“And one for you too, Daddy!” Amir beamed, looking quite proud of his and Sophia’s efforts. Muriel felt that familiar warmth in his chest that only his family could cause and he reached out with two big hands, ruffling their hair playfully and making the pair of them giggle.

“All right. We might have enough for a flower crown for everyone, but we’ll see.” Muriel winked and picked up some of the flowers. He was no stranger to making flower crowns. Not since Asra had first made one for Sophia. She asked for them fairly often. Often enough that Muriel had to ask Asra to teach him how to make them.

With Amir and Sophia’s help in deciding what flowers to put in their mother’s flower crown, Muriel showed them how he wove the stems together, careful not to damage the petals. Then, just a few minutes later, held up the finished product, a crown made up with flowers whose petals were light shades of pinks and purples. Sophia squealed.

“Pretty!” Her excitement was mirrored by her elder brother and then Muriel was urged to make another flower crown. So he did, letting Sophia pick what flowers she wanted in hers before settling the much smaller crown with pink and red blooms on her head.

“I’m a princess!” She reached up and touched the little flower crown carefully and Muriel smiled.

“You’re definitely a princess,” Muriel replied before getting started on Amir’s. When both kids had flower crowns on their head, they each insisted Muriel make one for himself too. So Muriel made one last flower crown and sat still at his daughter’s bidding so she and Amir could put the crown on his own dark hair.

“Daddy, you look pretty!” He felt heat flood his face then Muriel found his arms full when his kids came in for a hug. He maneuvered them so they didn’t squish their baby brother in his sling and held all three of his kids at once. He closed his eyes, pressing a kiss to Amir’s head first then Sophia’s, thankful for the blessing that was his family.

“All right, you two, let’s get this flower crown home to Mommy. I’ll carry it,” he said, shifting to get up. Together, the three made their way toward home, Inanna trotting along beside them while Miras continued to nap against his father’s chest.

It didn’t take long before both Amir and Sophia were yawning, tired from their outing. So Muriel paused to pick up Sophia and get her settled in the sling at his back, then lifted Amir up to hold in one arm. He felt them rest their heads on his shoulder and back, smiling to himself as he walked home. 

The smell of food greeted him when he stepped into the hut, ducking his head to avoid the low doorway, a smile forming when he saw his wife. He’d smiled so much more over the last few years and it had all started with Nell.

She turned, her own smile beautiful as it drew him in like a moth to the flame. She chuckled when she saw him laden with sleeping children, kissing Muriel softly when he bent to receive it.

“My goodness. It seems like you four have had a busy afternoon.” As Inanna made herself comfortable for a nap, Nell went to pull Sophia out of the sling. She cradled her sleepy little girl in her arms, brushing Sophia’s hair back from her face and kissing her forehead.

“They wanted to make flower crowns so we all got one except Miras.” His eyes drifted upward in the direction of his own crown still perched atop his head.

“Ah, well, they have good taste. They picked out lovely flowers for it.” Nell’s wink made him blush and then she was tucking Sophia into her bed while Muriel went to do the same with Amir, placing him next to his sister. Tiny flower crowns were carefully set aside and he spared a kiss for both of his sleeping children before he straightened and helped Nell get Miras.

“Just think, one day you’ll have three of them wanting to make flower crowns with you.” Nell smiled at the thought, giving their infant’s forehead a kiss as well.

“It’ll be worth it.” Of that, Muriel was already quite certain. He treasured every single day with his kids just as Nell did.

Once Miras was placed into his bassinet, his wife was in his arms and Muriel breathed a contented sigh, closing his eyes as he cradled Nell in his strong embrace.

“You’re the best dad, you know that?” Nell’s murmured words as she rested her head on him had him blushing once more. She was so good at that.

“I’m just doing the best I can,” he muttered in response, one hand coming up to stroke her pretty green hair tenderly.

“I know. You’re doing amazing.” Then she looked up at him, that soft smile that made his heart race gracing her lips. “I love you, Muriel.”

“I love you too.” He loved her more and more every day and always tried to show her however he could. Muriel brought up the flower crown that the kids had made for Nell and gently placed it atop her head. “Thank you.”

Nell’s brow furrowed slightly while her hand came up and brushed over the soft petals as she looked up at him. “For what?”

Then Muriel smiled, shaking his head slightly. Only one word could encompass all that he was grateful to her for and he spoke it with heartfelt sincerity as his hand cupped her cheek.

“Everything.”

**Author's Note:**

> Want to get updates on my writing? Come say hi on my social media. I’d love to hear from you! :)
> 
> [tumblr](http://brimac0518.tumblr.com)   
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